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Circle

The standard equation of a circle is (x - h)² + (y - k)² = r², where (h, k) is the center and r is the radius. The general form of a circle is x² + y² + Dx + Ey + F = 0, which can be converted to standard form to identify the center and radius. The document also explains how to plot a circle both by hand and on a computer using the equation.

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16 views3 pages

Circle

The standard equation of a circle is (x - h)² + (y - k)² = r², where (h, k) is the center and r is the radius. The general form of a circle is x² + y² + Dx + Ey + F = 0, which can be converted to standard form to identify the center and radius. The document also explains how to plot a circle both by hand and on a computer using the equation.

Uploaded by

m-9399523
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Standard equation of a circle

The standard equation of a circle is (x - h) 2 + (y - k)2 = r2. This equation can be used for a
circle that lies anywhere in the coordinate plane.
Derivation of the standard equation of a circle
The standard equation of a circle is derived using the distance formula. Consider the following
figure.

Given a circle with radius, r, centered at point (h, k), we can use the distance formula to find
that
where (x, y) is any point on the circle.
Squaring both sides of the equation, yields the standard equation of a circle:
(x - h)2 + (y - k)2 = r2
Example:
Find the equation of the circle with center (4, -3) and radius 5.
Substituting the coordinates of the center and radius we get,
(x - 4)2 + (y -( -3))2 = 52
(x - 4)2 + (y + 3)2 = 25
Notice that if the circle is centered at the origin, (0, 0), then both h and k in the equation
above are 0 and the equation reduces to:
x2 + y2 = r2
This is the standard equation of a circle centered about the origin.
Standard equation for a circle centered at the origin
The standard equation of a circle centered about the origin is x 2 + y2 = r2. We can see this by
plugging (0, 0) in for (h, k) in the standard equation of a circle. We can also derive this
equation as follows.
Given that point (x, y) lies on a circle with radius r centered at the origin of the coordinate
plane, it forms a right triangle with sides x and y, and hypotenuse r.

Referencing the figure, we can use the Pythagorean Theorem to find that the equation for this
circle in standard form is
x2 + y2 = r2
since any point on the circle is an equal distance, r, from the center.
General form of a circle
The equation of a circle in general form is, x 2 + y2 + Dx + Ey + F = 0, where D, E, and F are
real numbers.
To more easily identify the center and radius of a circle given in general form, we can convert
the equation to standard form.
Example:
Find the center and radius for the circle with equation,
x2 + y2 + 4x - 12y - 9 = 0
Group the x and y terms first.
x2 + 4x + y2 - 12y = 9
Completing the square, we get:
x2 + 4x + 4 + y2 - 12y + 36 = 9 + 4 + 36
(x + 2)2 + (y - 6)2 = 49 = 72
So, the center is (-2, 6) and the radius is 7.
"General Form"
But you may see a circle equation and not know it!
Because it may not be in the neat "Standard Form" above.
As an example, let us put some values to a, b and r and then expand it
Start with:(x−a)2 + (y−b)2 = r2
Example: a=1, b=2, r=3:(x−1)2 + (y−2)2 = 32
Expand:x2 − 2x + 1 + y2 − 4y + 4 = 9
Gather like terms:x2 + y2 − 2x − 4y + 1 + 4 − 9 = 0
And we end up with this:
x2 + y2 − 2x − 4y − 4 = 0
It is a circle equation, but "in disguise"!
So when you see something like that think "hmm ... that might be a circle!"
In fact we can write it in "General Form" by putting constants instead of the numbers:
x2 + y2 + Ax + By + C = 0
Note: General Form always has x2 + y2 for the first two terms.
Unit Circle
If we place the circle center at (0,0) and set the radius to 1 we get:
(x−a)2 + (y−b)2 = r2
(x−0)2 + (y−0)2 = 12
x2 + y2 = 1
Which is the equation of
the Unit Circle

How to Plot a Circle by Hand


1. Plot the center (a,b)
2. Plot 4 points "radius" away from the center in the up, down, left and right direction
3. Sketch it in!
Example: Plot (x−4)2 + (y−2)2 = 25
The formula for a circle is (x−a)2 + (y−b)2 = r2
So the center is at (4,2)
And r2 is 25, so the radius is √25 = 5

So we can plot:
The Center: (4,2)
Up: (4,2+5) = (4,7)
Down: (4,2−5) = (4,−3)
Left: (4−5,2) = (−1,2)
Right: (4+5,2) = (9,2)
Now, just sketch in the circle the best we can!
How to Plot a Circle on the Computer
We need to rearrange the formula so we get "y=".
We should end up with two equations (top and bottom of circle) that can then be plotted.
Example: Plot (x−4)2 + (y−2)2 = 25
So the center is at (4,2), and the radius is √25 = 5
Rearrange to get "y=":
Start with:(x−4)2 + (y−2)2 = 25
Move (x−4)2 to the right:(y−2)2 = 25 − (x−4)2
Take the square root:(y−2) = ± √[25 − (x−4)2]
(notice the ± "plus/minus" ...
there can be two square roots!)
Move the "−2" to the right:y = 2 ± √[25 − (x−4) 2]

So when we plot these two equations we should have a circle:


y = 2 + √[25 − (x−4)2]
y = 2 − √[25 − (x−4)2]
Try plotting those functions on the Function Grapher.
It is also possible to use the Equation Grapher to do it all in one go.

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